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THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, in Cleveland, Ohio, is best known for its raucous and dramatic induction ceremonies. But it also has a quieter side: a library and archive, full of research materials, artifacts and memorabilia, and shelves and shelves of old records. Earlier this year, the Rock Hall advertised that they were looking for a new librarian, a position that, judging from the response to Atlas Obscura’s story about it, is up there on many people’s list of dream jobs.

So who got it? After a long and rigorous interview process, 34-year-old Laura Maidens started as the Rock Hall’s librarian in early September. We caught up with her about playlist inspiration, Ramones-themed prayer cards, finding secret notes from Keith Richards, and other highlights of the gig. READ MORE: A Day in the Life of a Rock ‘n’ Roll Librarian | Atlas Obscura

You couldn’t put down that one book. In fact, you’ve reread it every summer since. Or maybe you love kids and want to be the facilitator of story time … forever. Perhaps a stroll through a history museum gives you a natural high. Or maybe you’re like me, and you stumbled into librarianship after receiving invaluable advice from a professor: “You should consider getting an MLS degree.” No matter what made you decide to pursue librarianship, welcome! READ MORE: You’re Considering a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science. Now What? | Information Space

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The comments to this post provide some great insights as well. Be sure to read these too!

Is librarianship a career you’ve been considering? Have you been told you should work in a library since you’re a huge book lover? We thought it would be worthwhile to talk about some of the awesome and some of the, err, less awesome aspects of working in libraries. These are the things you won’t learn in a glossy brochure or on a fancy website dedicated to the career. Instead, these are lessons from librarians who’ve been in the trenches. READ : So You Want to Be a Librarian? | BookRiot

The Introvert’s Guide to Conferences | Rachelle GardnerOkay, so you notice there’s no shortage of advice out there about how to make the most of a conference. But what about those of us who are introverts? It can be even more difficult for us to navigate these social situations. Oh, how we envy our extrovert friends! Are there any special tips for people like us?

Conference Proposals 101: What, When, and How to Submit Yours | Infonista
As you grow your LIS career, one of the most effective ways to build your professional reputation and visibility is to present at conferences. You’ll have a chance to share your expertise with colleagues interesting in learning more about your topic, and create credibility for your professional knowledge. If you’ve never gone through the proposal process, however, it can be a bit daunting at first. Rest assured, it’s actually a pretty simple process.

Rioter Michelle Anne Schlesinger recently wrote In Praise of Non-Degreed Librarians, a thoughtful take on why the library degree, Master’s in Library Science (MLS), isn’t a necessary requirement to being a librarian. I fully agree. Librarians can be made from on the job experience, climbing the ranks from to assistant to librarian, and in most states you don’t need a MLS to be a librarian. It’s about the passion for people and helping them find information, the customer service aspect, the love of books and reference services, organization and community involvement and interaction. In library school it’s an ongoing debate, and I look at it this way: the last time you went to the library and someone helped you out, did you ask if they had the degree?

When someone finds out I’m a librarian, they automatically think I know everything there is to know about, well, books. The thing is, I don’t. I got into libraries because of the technology.

My career in libraries started with the take off, a supposed library replacement, of ebooks. Factor in the Google “scare” and librar*s were going to be done forever. Librar*s were frantic to debunk that they were no longer going to be useful, insert perfect time and opportunity to join libraries and technology.

Are you passionate about making libraries user-centered? Maybe you love designing study or communal spaces based on the experiences of your users. Or you find joy in crafting library services that meet the unmet needs of your community. Or you love creating web experiences that are intuitive, useful, and fun for your library patrons. These are all traits of a good user experience (UX) librarian. READ MORE: [Series] So you want to be a UX Librarian? | hls